
HEMLOCK TWIGS 



AND 



BALSAM SPRIGS 

uames Peek Parker 





- 'i.. 



HEMLOCK TWIGS 

AND 

BALSAM SPRIGS 

by 

dames Peek Parker 




BLACK MOUNTAIN PRINTERY 



f J 



., \^^ 



Copyriglit, 1921, James Pccle Parker 
Co^jyrldiit, 1922, James Peele Parker 



lUuslrations on pages H, 8, 10, 1 H, 22, 26, 28 and 30 
used by permission 



MAY -6 1922 



©C1A672948 



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FOREWORD 

A line or two {or seeing evjes, 
A word {or liearin^ ears, 

And in beVwGcn a good w\sV\ lies 
For all VWc coming years. 

THE AUTHOR. 



Page Three 




X 






Here's \o our Free-land, lia'il to her colors! 

Here's to our Hi^li-landl 

Here's l:o our Sky-landl 
Here's \o our Home-land, surpass'n^ all olliersl 



Page Five 







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OUR HIGHLAND TEMPLE 

WiVli His own omnipotent liand, 
God lias crowned our lair Hidliland 
WiHi Nature's temple, vast and ^rand, 
Chis'hn^ aisles tlirou^li granite ^or^es tliat men may to its 
altar come; 
Has strung tlie {orests into lijres. 
Placed the mountains {or its spires, 
» Turn'd sunsets into o{{'rin6 {ires. 

Set tlie stars for ligntcd tapers, and truss'd tlic sUvj up {or 
its dome. 

Hast tliou crossed its lo{ty portals? 

Gateways {it {or tlie Immortals! 

Yet e'er open to tliose mortals 
WVio deli^lit in Natvire's {ricndsliip, wlio comrade witli tlie 
wilderness. 

To learn tliat altar's excellevice 

Hast tliou trod in solemn silence 

Up tliose aisles in reverence? 
'Fore it knelt, witli soul vincovered, con{essin^ all tluj little- 
ness? 



Page Seven 



Hast tliou cau^UV \V\e a^es' anVliem 

From o'er tVic cKoir-lo-fV's ^\ldGcl Uem? 

And didsV Vliovt breat^Ue a dce|3 amen? 
HasV Uiou loitered in \V\e alcoves, liun^ wiVV> tapestries 
sublln^e? 

WViatl Hast tUou never {elt tbe slpell? 

Had tVivj soul witb inspiration well 

Beneatb tbis Temple's or^an swell, 
Tliat keeps tViose silent alcoves quivering witli melodvj and 



Tben come witb me and climb to wbere 
We movAnt tbis altar's wind-swept stair, 
And let vis bow in worsbip tbere, 

Rendering to its Master Builder all our sacrificial vows. 
Hast tbou any o-f-ferin^ brou^bt--- 
One new, one pure unblemisned tnou^nt — 
Tbat may in -fervent prayer be wrou^bt? 

Tben lift it up, and God will sprinkle incense froni His 
balsam bourns. 



Page Nine 




'Is Passionate witli Son<^ 



SPRING-TIME 

~[[\e EarVli's ^rcaV liearV \s VVirobbin^ -fast. 
Her li-fe-blooci's {low is strong; 

Sbe {ears no more VVie Winter's blast, 
Is passionate witli son^. 

Sbe {olds tbe winds \n loving arms, 

Smiles at tiie deep blue sky, 
Lau^bs at tbe storm-clouds' {lerce alarms 

And drinks tbeir bvirdens drij. 



Page Eleven 




UJ 



CRAGGY 

Yesi^ermorn 1 saw Vlic {irsV bri^lii^ ^leam o{ sunrise place 
a golden crown on Cra^^vj's lioary liead, Uien waVclied in 
sileni" wonder as \V\c warm descending ravjs {virlcd a robe o-^ 
pvirple ^lory over all liis majesVvj. 

Last ni^liV, Vbe "FrosV Kin^" niarslialed all Ins allies 

fortb and stormed \V\e rvt^^ed pile {rom base Vo sv\mmiV's 

VopmosV cli{{, leaving lliere an icy lielmet wViere bad been 
tbe crown o| ^old. 

Today I saw VbaV belmet caVcb Vbe {irsV red raijs atbwarV 
t'be morn, and scaUer Hiem in silvery sbimmerin^s Vo Vbe 
waking earVb and sUvj; Vben as Vbe -flood o\ svtnli^bt slowly 
spread upon bis widening slopes, tbe ^rand old mounlrain 
seemed transfigured be-fore my ea^er eyes — bebold a lo-fVy 
crystal pyramid arose, wbose ^liHerin^ apex clove a dri-fVin^ 
cloud, and wbose brilliant wbitcness well mi^bt rival in its 
pxirity, tbat o-f tbe Great Wbite Tbrone o\ God. 



Page Thirteen 




3 



MOUNT MITCHELL 

Wlicre Western Carolina's maVcKless clime {lin^s loudest 
•forili \\s cliallen^e Vo \\^e splieres, 

Mount Mitcliell, Vliron'd in grandeur, sits above bis dark 
majestic peers, 

Sovereign o'er all tbat beauteous realm \A/bere scenic wonders 
never cease; 

Proud Guardian o{ tbat gallery wbere Nature's bun^ ber 
masterpiece. 

A million Summers' blossomings are wa{tin^ wide tbeir per- 
fume from bis balsam proves; 

A million Winters' {rescoin^s bear record in bis bouldered 
coves; 

And vjet be's vjoun^ — bow yovin^, wbo knows? 

Tbrou^b future a^es yet unrun^, be'U be tbe first to mark 

tbe birtb of eacb new day, 
And last to see its evening splendor into darkness fade 

away; 
Tbrou^b cycling seasons yet vinflun^, be'U watcb tbe tbundcr- 

storm's wild frolic at bis knees. 
And for satisfying toys, lend tbe tempest all bis forest 

trees; 
Tbrou^b all tbe aeons yet unsung, bis sceptre 11 wave o'er 

Appalacbia's towering crest, 
Wbile floating clouds, to break tbeir portless ]o\irneys, moor 

upon bis breast; 

Since wben? Till wben? God only knows. 

Page Fifteen 




"CO 

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BLUE RIDGE 

Between lovi^ slielVerm^ arnis i'lirusV down to Voucli Vlie 
racing waters o{ the u|3|per Swannanoa, tlic Blwe Rid^e 
Mountains spread a deep and ru^^ed lap to nurse a wild 
primeval forest. Beneath this forest's shade, ten thousand 
rich un^arnered harvests of leaf and flower and seed, have 
fallen into black decay that next year's harvest mi^ht the 
richer be. Here the native pansy lifts its freckled face be- 
neath the hemlock's tapering spar, and modest violets bow 
in homage at the ^reat oak's chancel rail; here orchids nod 
their curious heads beside the fronded fern and ebony stems 
of maidenhair lean close to the ^lant poplar's bole; here 
laurel shrubs their waxen cups unfold, and rhododendron 
thickets sift their ^or^eous petals down; here the wild 
musicians of the cove select them each a swinging sta^e, 
and undisturbed by plaudits of a ^iddy throng, pour out 
their lives in rapturous son^. 



Page Seveyiteen 




Blue Ridgc Buildings m Forc^rovuid 



Here, Voo, consecrat^cd leaders amon^ \V\e shidenVs of 
Viie Soutli, liave ^iven Vo Vlie keeping o-f \\r\a\ ample lap, a 
{osVer ciiild — liave bwilded Hiere by {aiVli{ul prayer and nn- 
remiHing Voil, a sVaiely slirine. A sbrine wbere every soul 
IS urged Vo Vake tke Ckrishan H\gli PriesV's covenant, and 
en'ier v\na-[raid witkin ii\s own Most Holy Place — Blue 
Ridge, tke Soutliern Student's sacred skrine! Wliere every 
noble impulse o\ tne buman beart finds freedom in tbe very 
atmospbere, and inspiration leads tbrougb deep devotion's 
silent trails to large v^nselfisb service for mankind; wbere 
all tbe reverential antbems of tbe sovaI swell fortb, spon- 
taneovAs melodies of praise, and rise m sweet accord witb 
tbe invisible organ of God's Great Universe. 



Page Nineteen 




m 



GREYBEARD'S DAUGHTER 

Aeons ere {Ue lajpsin^ a^es 

Into calendars were hed, 
Or \or U\n^s v»ncerVain wa^es 

AncienV bards tlieir iralenVs Vried, 
Greybeard's lovely Dau^bter ibrou^b bis ru^^ed casVle san^ — 
From it's turreVs \o \\s jporVals ber rippling rbytbm ran^. 

But ouV Vbe castle ^ates sbe sbpV 

Across bis terraced courts, 
Sped tbrou^b many a sbadow'd crypt 
And leaped bis granite {orts; 
Tben raced bis list'nin^ vales between to meet tbc 

Swannanoa — 
Plunged a-sin^in^ down ber ^or^e to join tbc Swannanoa. 

Ecboin^ cb-f{s -flun^ \ar tbe son^; 

His Seven Sisters beard \t 
Resounding tbrou^b tbeir balls alon^, 
And ecboed back tbeir plaudit, 
Till ears o{ nei^bborin^ mov<ntains in eagerness were bent, 
Tbat tbey mi^bt catcb tbc music o{ ber turbulent descent. 

Man now climbs in adoration 

Over Greybeard's bigb domain; 
Human tongues {ind inspiration 

From bis Dau^bter's wild retrain. 
And |rom ocean unto ocean, in ecstasy repeat, 
How sbe tbriUs tbe souls o{ tbousands, wbile sin^in^ tbrou^b 
lV\ontreat. 

Page Twentij-One 



TO THE SWANNANOA 

Wiiere {old on {old \V\e ancient earVli liatli cast licr 
rv\^^cd bosom vip to meeV tiic bcndmg sUvj, spring scores o{ 
lav»gli\ng streamlets {ortb, tliat, trickhng down beneatb tlie 
{radrant bemlock bongbs, leap granite walls to lose" tnevii- 
selves m gorges -far below, tlien burrvj sparkling o\it to {ind 
a common patk, and bless tins snnling vallevj witli tkc nivisic 
o{ a Swannanoa. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

I love to watcli lier waters lick 

Tlie {oot o| yonder wooded knoll. 

And catcli tlie wildness o{ lier music, 
Tliat grows vjet wilder in nuj sovd. 



Page Twenty-Three 



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TO THE SWANNANOA 

Oli, Cliiia of HiG Mountains, Oil, CliiM o{ \Ue Sea, 
Tile sound o{ Vhij waters is music Vo me! 
It stirs tlie emotions deep down in mvj soul, 
Awakening feelings I cannot control. 

'Tis freedom to walk bij tliy wild rocky side 
And muse u)pon fancies borne on by tliy tide; 

'Tis freedom to sit on tby turbulent sbore 
And dream of tbe scenes tbou slialt witness no more. 

But look! Look quicklij! Wko now lias appeared 
On tbe crest of tliat cliff, uncanny and weird? 
Note tbe strength of bis bow, tbe lengtb of bis spear, 
Tbe pride of bis bearing, tbe absence of fear, 
And bow in bis quiver tbe arrows are set; 
Erect in bis featbers, a dark silbouette! 
'Tis a Redskin's spirit stands out in relief! 
Tbe sovil of tbe bravest, a Cberokee Cbief! 



Page Twenty-Five 




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He's con^c to rev'isiV Vlie land o{ W\s birtli, 
Adain \o renew tUc sweet {nendsliUps o{ earVli; 
List to tlic welcome tlie breezes arc brin^m^, 
Ob, bear tbc ^lad song all Nature is singing; 
I, too, extend greetings, Provid Cberokee, 
Mvj bcart's in tbe cborus. Stray Sovil of tbe Free. 

Bv\t gone are bis bxintsmcn and gone is tbe game 
He is seeking in vain, tbc Wbite Man's to blame; 
Gone, too, is tbe Cbieftain, I see bim no niore. 
Yet be leaves tby rapids as wild as o{ yore; 
And like a refrain from tbe Great Spirit's dell. 
Come tbese ccboing words of bis long farewell: 
'Rusb on Swannanoa, tbrougb woodland and lea! 
Still, tbe fields and tbe forests pay tribute to Tbee! 
Ob, Cbild of tbc Mountains, Ob, Cbild of tbc Sea, 
Tbc sound of tby waters is music to mel" 



Page Twenty-Seven 



THE SEASONS 

Wlien Wmt'cr piles Vlie\r ^or^es dcejp wi\V\ snow, and 
makes o{ evervj summit's crowning cra^ a ^lisVenin^ niiracle, 
tliey are ^ood to look upon: wken ^enVle Spring nas touclied 
Vlie warming mould and coaxed cacli liidden root to {lower 
■forVli, tlien spread abroad lier emerald mantle over every 
naked twi^ and bou^li, tliey indeed are more tnan beauti'ful: 
but wben Autumn ^atliers all tbc mellowness -from all tlie 
Summer's len^tb o{ days, and beneatb tlie sunset's sbeen 
o\ pv\rple splendor, spills in reckless random over peak and 
rid^e and cove, tbe cboicest of ber colorings — tben, ab, tben, 
even tbe Artist's brusb or Poet's pen are tools too crude for 
use-fulness 1 



Page Twenty-Nine 



Here's \o Vke Land o\ Viie Hemlock and Spruce, 
Here's t'o \\er lulls and lier niounVains; 

Here's Vo \V\e Land wlierc Vlie rivers unloose, 
Here's Vo lier valleys and -fountains! 



Page Thirty-One 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

II ill UN III! II III! Ill 

016 215 523 4 



